Thursday, June 28, 2012

Babycall (2011)

Babycall (2011)
Babycall (2011)
Genre: Thriller
Director: Pål Sletaune
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Kristoffer Joner, Vetle Qvenild Werring
Language: Norwegian, Swedish, English
Duration: 96 min.
Rating: 6.2
Summary:
When an overprotective mother and her eight year old son move into a large apartment complex, she begins to hear frightening voices over the baby monitor that she uses to keep tabs on him.
Babycall, also known as The Monitor, is a film written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Pål Sletaune (Next Door). It features Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, in her last role before the International House of Remakes came calling.

This one's a suspenseful psychological thriller with obvious J-Horror roots, among a few others I won't name so as not to spoil it; and like the director's previous film, it leans heavily on a large dose of confusion in a creepy minimalistic setting in order to distract the audience from its lack of originality.

Fortunately, Rapace carries the film with a pretty good performance. Playing Anna, an ultra paranoid mother, who with the help of social services, escapes an abusive relationship, and moves into an anonymous apartment block with her eight-year-old son. She has a captivating presence, a mixture of nervous fragility and intense maternal instinct that keeps us drawn, despite a story that takes far too many detours.

Babycall (2011)

One of them that actually works involves a character played by Norwegian actor Kristoffer Joner, no stranger to this genre of film. He appears and provides a bit of interesting mystery, as a shy shop clerk who befriends Anna after selling her the baby monitor.

Also, Sletaune does have a talent for building some genuinely chilling atmosphere to go along with the strong acting. There's something unsettling with the way he frames the imposing looking empty hallways and monolithic grey apartment blocks, which are enhanced with the judicious use of bright color in key moments.

The problem is if you've ever seen a film like this before, then you know where it's going to end up from a mile away. Which is something the director is clearly aware of, but ultimately isn't able to deflect convincingly. 
Bonjour Tristesse
Babycall (2011)

Babycall (2011)

Babycall (2011)

Babycall (2011)

Babycall (2011)

Babycall (2011)

Babycall (2011)

Babycall (2011)

16 comments:

FrontRoomCinema said...

Shame.


I saw the trailer and thought this could be excellent. Ah well!! Thanks BT

Lesya said...

I'm still curious, even though it's predictable. I'm also interested in how Noomi Rapace handles the part of paranoid mother. Thanks for the review.

Margaret said...

Nice review! I will definetly see this one just for Rapace, I think she is one of the most intriguing actresses working today.

Pete Turner said...

Wow another horror with baby monitors! Can't say it sounds original but still worth a look I guess if it's got good performances and atmosphere. Will wait for the rental.

AJaye2009 said...

I found it wanting too. It had a theatrical release in the UK but interestingly enough Rapace's name didn't make it a hit.

d_4 said...

See, it looks like it's well made. I liked the trailer, and your review pretty much made that clear, but I -have- seen a few similar ones. It just probably wouldn't be worth it in the end.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

It's not awful. If you haven't seen too many of these types of films then I think it's highly possible you could still enjoy it.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

She plays that role extremely well. If that's what you are looking for, then I think you'll have a good time with it.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Intriguing is a good word, to me she didn't start out as a very impressive actress, I didn't enjoy the Millennium trilogy all that much, but in the last couple films she's grown on me.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

The lame title probably doesn't help much either. The first time I saw the poster, I thought this was another family drama.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yep, that's a safe bet.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yep, if you've seen a bunch of these before then you'll probably end up with the same impression. I prefer guiding people towards films as opposed to warning them, but sometimes it's inevitable.

Hoi-Ming Ng said...

Is it coincidence that Sletaune's other film has the actor of the other protagonist from the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo?

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah, coincidence, and the fact that the Norwegian and Swedish film communities are not very big, so the well known actors seem to be in everything.

The Movie Waffler said...

I would have much preferred an ambiguous ending rather than the Shyamalan copout

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I actually don't think it was enough of a shamalama ding dong ending. For me, it was way too obvious where it was going.

Post a Comment